Lindbergh Defeats Mehlville Soccer 3-2 at Home

A strong second half was not enough to overcome Lindbergh as Mehlville lost to the Flyers 3-2. Down 3-1 at the half, the Panthers rallied to hold the Flyer offense and managed to score a goal, but failed to pull out a win at home.

“As bad as that first half was, that’s how good we played in the second half,” said Panther coach Tom Harper. “Lindbergh came out and took advantage of the opportunity they were given.”

Mehlville suffered from defensive turnovers to start the game. Semir Jahic scored the first goal with 21 minutes left in the first half and then the Flyers had three unanswered goals in the last 14 minutes of the half. Lindbergh’s Brian O’Neal scored their second and then a third goal with .8 seconds left.

“It’s difficult to come back from 3-1,” Harper said. “We left three or four goals on the field; it was just the way it bounces.”

Mehlville came out fighting in the second half and scored with 23 minutes to go, but the comeback was a little late as they could not close on several scoring opportunities at the end. Two balls bounced off the goal posts and another miss sealed the Flyer victory. 

“When the action is away from the ball, that’s when we’re at our best,” Harper said. “We weren’t prepared mentally and confidently and you have to do that in the Suburban West.”